Date:

Monday, September 15, 2008

Place:

Anderson Room
Richmond City Hall

Present:

Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie, Chair
Councillor Linda Barnes
Councillor Cynthia Chen
Councillor Derek Dang
Councillor Evelina Halsey-Brandt
Councillor Sue Halsey-Brandt
Councillor Rob Howard
Councillor Bill McNulty
Councillor Harold Steves

Call to Order:

The Chair called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m.

MINUTES

1.

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the General Purposes Committee held on Monday, September 2, 2008, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT

2.

BILL 23 - PUBLIC HEALTH ACT

(Report:  August 28, 2008, File No.:  01-0151-01/2008-Vol 01) (REDMS No. 2450461)

A discussion took place during which Terry Crowe, Manager, Policy Planning, joined by June Christy, Senior Planner, advised that:

§      

under the new legislation, several public health plans could be developed, each addressing specific issues or segments of the population;

§      

public health plans would be developed in a collaborative effort by a number of public bodies which could include the Board of Education, as well as Richmond Health Services, and the City of Richmond;

§      

the City appointed liaison to Richmond Health Services would serve as a formal contact;

§      

the information regarding Bill 23 – Public Health Act, that was currently available to City staff had not addressed the issue of additional funding requirements from the City;

§      

City staff would continue to seek clarification from the Ministry of Health on the implementation of the new Public Health Act;

§      

the City would need to be mindful of public health plans when undertaking new zoning and planning processes, and staff would investigate the implications to existing policies; and

§      

Bill 23 – Public Health Act was effective as of May 29, 2008.

In answer to a query related to the difference between Bill 23 and the previous Public Health Act, Dr. James Lu, Public Health Officer, Richmond Public Health, advised that the previous public health act had become cumbersome due to numerous amendments over many years. He further advised that Bill 23 recognized that health was not only about provisions for health services, but also about communicable disease, and the focus on disease prevention.

It was moved and seconded

That:

(1)

Amarjeet Rattan, Director, Corporate Programs Management Group (CPMG) be appointed, as the City Liaison to Richmond Health Services, a branch of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority; and

(2)

The City notify Richmond Health Services of this appointment.

The question on the motion was not called, as further discussion took place about the need for clarification relating to the City’s current authority to regulate health hazards. It was also noted that many changes had taken place since the province had assumed responsibility of Public Health from the City.

The question on the motion was then called, and it was CARRIED.

3.

RE-SCHEDULING OF OCTOBER 14, 2008 REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING DUE TO FEDERAL ELECTION  

(Report:  September 9, 2008, File No.:  01-0105-01/2008-Vol 01) (REDMS No. 2500920)

It was moved and seconded

(1)

That the regular open and closed Council meetings scheduled for Tuesday, October 14, 2008 be re-scheduled to the same times on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 to accommodate the Federal General Election.

(2)

That the Community Safety Committee meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, October 15, 2008 be re-scheduled to 4:00 pm on Wednesday, October 8, 2008.

CARRIED

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (4:34 p.m.).

CARRIED

Certified a true and correct copy of the Minutes of the meeting of the General Purposes Committee of the Council of the City of Richmond held on Monday, September 15, 2008.

_________________________________

_________________________________

Mayor Malcolm D. Brodie

Chair

Shanan S. Dhaliwal

Executive Assistant, City Clerk’s Office